The post in which I talk about snot too much

Today, I am officially back. I know, I know I've said it before & even blogged about being back. But really I am, I feel so lonely without my blog, does that make sense? I still blog hop all the time, there are several that I read weekly. ie... Kellys Corner, The Finish line Diaries, MckMama, Mad Boastings of a Cheapskate mom, I'm a Baker and many more. But after a loooong hiatus I am back. I am sure my mother will be very happy.

It seems like the last few months we've been sick, sick, sick. Even as I type this latest blog the kids are all sick. In fact today I took Ellia and Micah to doctor, where they were pronounced with ear infections and sinus infection.

The last 6 days have been a struggle for me. A struggle because when the kids get sick who do they want?? You guessed it, Mama. And that would be okay if I didn't have 3 children, a house, a husband, a dog and a business to run all of which need my attention too. And of all things I dislike, snotty noses I dislike the MOST. I don't know why, but that oozy, gooey, slimy crap that drains from those two potholes we call nostrils drives me crazy! Never have and never will be a snot fan. Which in the last 6 days I have had to deal with a ton. I mean we could probably have filled two sippy cups with that crap this past week....and I am not kidding either.

However, I did not start blogging again to talk about my dislike of snot. No, I started blogging again because I have much that has been stirring inside of me. Much that I want to put out there. For who you ask? I know most of my friends/followers have stopped reading or rather checking in. No, I am starting back up for me.... This is afterall my blog where I vent, rant, share my thoughts, share my kid stories & show off my beautiful family. But it is also my therapy. And cheap therapy is always a good thing.


This week my mother inlaw told me "this is the time for which you were called to be a mother", meaning not just in the good times, but in the bad, sickness & in health. Just like my wedding vows. Yes, my kids are sick. Yes, they are whiny. Yes, they are snotty messes. Yes, they are at times driving me crazy all being sick & I feel like it will never end. Yes, I have raised the white flag and am screaming....I surrender!

BUT

They are sick, they are whiny, they are snotty messes and you know what, they need Mama. And when you are sick Mama is the only one you want. And they will only be this little for a short period. Will I be able to rock them, rub their backs, wipe their snotty noses, whisper "I love you" into their ears & just cuddle them close when they are 15 and sick? I think not.

So as much as I want to run, hide & just give up I push through. I push through the tiredness of late nights, I push through all the snot, I push through the whiny voices & hold onto the fact that I am their one and only Mama. And this is what I prayed for, this is what I hoped for - in sickness and health.

Happy Birthday Addie

It's a little late and I'm sorry, it's not cause you're the 2nd child I promise!! It's because this weekend we got so busy buying.......our mini van..... that we weren't home much. But dont fret cause you are the only one of my childrens birth that I have ever blogged about & it took 4 posts... post 1, post 2, post 3 and post 4.

Christmas 2009

1st birthday cake

Adilynn you turned 2 on Sat and with it we were reminded how much you complete our family. You were our little surprise pregnancy but ooooh so worth it. Never mind that I cried for like 2 weeks straight when that test read positive, or that my pregnancy with you was emotionally the hardest or that you had colic till you were 6months old. You have been worth every single minute!! We cannot imagine our family without you.

You are such a delight. Every day your little voice lifts my spirits and makes me smile. Dressing up is one of your favorite things to do right now. You come up with some crazy outfits that just make me laugh. And make me take pictures.

You love and adore your big sister and are always wanting to be with her. And there is no question you love your little brother as you are always trying to make him laugh. "Bro Bro - Boo".

You can take a beating and keep on going. You are so strong & tough. You know what you want and you go after it, so determined. You are stubborn, probably our most stubborn child but that will do you good later in life, at least that's what I tell myself.

I love hearing you sing "Jesus wuvs me" or "ring around the posies"
And

When I get you out of your crib each morning it's the same thing ....

"Hi Mama, I wake up"


Dont even get me started at how cute you are when you run or when you do your "BBQ" dance....ooh my gosh, adorable.


You bring so much joy, laughter & fun into our home. I cannot imagine life without our little surprise...you were worth all those tears and more.

Happy Belated Birthday baby girl.....Mama loves you!

Happy Birthday Ellia

Tomorrow is Oct 1st and my sweet, baby girl turns 3years old. Three years ago I became a mommy for the first time and I haven't looked back.

On October 1st, 2007 at 4:12pm Miss Ellia Lorraine was born.

Ellia Lorraine you bring so much joy & excitement to our lives. Three years ago when labor started we knew you were on your way into our lives but we didn't know then how much of our heart you would fill up. You taught us how to be a mommy and daddy. When you were born we grew up & learned what real sacrifice means.

Your love of music & dance keeps us smiling and on our toes. Your ballet teacher says that you have a smile on your face the entire time and that she can tell you are excited to be there. You are always making up new songs & dancing around the house. Entertaining should have been your middle name.

You are always saying "I a big girl and I help you". You love to help me in the kitchen and always want to sit on the counter to help. And lets not even get started on how much you actually like to help sweep the floors or dust. You are always ready and willing to help out with a huge smile on your face.

You love your siblings and are very protective of them. In Sunday school you are known to put your arm around Addie when she is crying. Whenever you receive something you make sure that Addie gets one too. It is not unusual to hear you saying to Micah "it's okay buddy" when he is crying. Or help pat his back when he needs to be burped.

You are our most sensitive child and sometimes nurturing that is hard for me. But at the same time we know that this will serve you well later in life. Your ability to comfort others comes from your sensitivity and is truly a gift.

We love you sweet girl
Happy Birthday!!!

Parenting Conference rewind - post #1

This past weekend Bill and I attended a parenting conference hosted by our church Mars Hill. The speaker was Paul Trip and he was Aaaaamazing! I cannot say enough good things.

We didn't know what to expect and were blown away by this man. First, let me tell you he was a phenomenal speaker. So funny and entertaining. He kept us laughing but at the same time engaged to what he was saying. To put it better, he had us eating out of the palm of his hand.

Paul Tripp has written a ton of books on parenting, marriage, devotionals and many more. I encourage you to visit his site to see his books.

I am going to try to sum up some of the BEST parts of the conference. On Friday night he spoke just on parenting & getting to the "heart" of the matter. On Saturday he addressed specific age groups 0-5, 6-12 and teenagers. And let me tell you we learned things for all three age groups.

The first & most important thing we learned was:

Parenting is not about controlling & regulating behavior, it's about the Heart. The thoughts and motives of the heart shape the way a child responds.

- As a parent you are the "seer" - you were made to be the eyes for your child, what is it that God wants our children to see that he/she is not seeing? And how can I help them see it?

- God designed the family unit to be the primary learning community for our children and we mustn't be too busy to teach our children. Nor can we depend solely on the church to raise our children as the church wasn't designed to to replace us but to equip us.

Family is Designed to be:
1. Theological Community - teaching our children to live with an awareness of God. Our job is to point them towards God everyday. We need to root their identity in the character and existence of God.

"There is no knowing without knowing God" - John Calvin

2. Sociological Community - we were designed to love the Lord and to love our neighbor. The struggle to love exposes the real heart of a person. And you cannot teach it unless you understand & practice it yourself. Whether you realize it or not your family unit is teaching your children how to live within their community. What are you teaching them about their community?

"Teaching love, takes love and Teaching love takes sacrifice" - Paul Tripp

3. Redemptive Community - We need to live a life where grace, forgiveness, deliverance from sin, reconciliation and life in Christ are a central part of our family on a daily basis. Need to teach our children that we too are sinners and be honest with them. Let our faults be seen too.


- Life is about moments, lots and lots of moments. And it's in these moments that we shape our children's hearts. There will be lots of these moments but we must be willing to act on them.

"You cannot have $100 conversations in .10$moments" - Paul Tripp

We learned 5 questions to ask your child when they have disobeyed. These questions will lead them to Christ & talking them out will help our children to change their heart. (And in the moments it takes to ask these questions I will have the time to calm down)

1. What was going on?

2. What were you thinking & feeling as it happened? (This causes them to look at their heart)

3. What did you do in response? - the behavior is formed after the heart reacted

4. Why did you do it? What were you seeking to accomplish with this behavior? - this follows the motive

5. What was the result?

He said he started this line of questioning when disciplining when his youngest was 2yrs old. And the fact of the matter is that repetition is important and it's in these moments that you will be correcting/molding/shaping their heart.

We don't have the capacity to change but Jesus does. We need to expose our children to the redeemer who can change them. And how do we help our children change? We do this by changing our hearts FIRST!

4 things happen when you haven't dealt with your own heart:

1. Moments of ministry turn into moments of Anger

2. You personalize what is not Personal - you make it all about you & you miss the opportunity

3. You are adversarial in your response, becomes you against your child and you see your child as an obstacle in your way.

4. You settle for quick situational responses - these response's don't get to the heart of the matter.

Remember that as we walk out

Confession
Repentance

that our children are watching & learning. And we were designed to be their teachers.

Fall has arrived

Fall has arrived......WooooHooo!!

Time for schedules, ballet classes, MOPS, pre-school activities for Ellia, falling leaves, cozy fires in the fireplace, falling leaves and comfort foods. I love Fall!!

As I type this I am laid up in bed with my right leg propped up on pillows. This past weekend as I walked across a field to the bathroom at a family reunion I fell in a hole. Yep, a hole in the grass got the best of me and sent me crumbling to my knees. After a visit to the walk in clinic I was sent home with a sexy black boot & crutches. My boot & I have become fast friends and will be together for at least 2 weeks. I am hoping the crutches and I can part our separate ways tomorrow.

This has been a crazy month for Team D with injuries & sickness. If I didn't know better I'd think we had ticked off the injury Gods.

I am trying to take this all in stride but it's not easy being laid up. Not easy letting your in laws & friends do the cooking, laundry & sweep/mop the floors.....or is it?? No, really sitting there as they do these things is hard for me. Because I am normally the one doing them & the first to lend a helping hand.

So till the ankle is back to normal I will try to not be cranky, I said try. And think of all the fun Fall activities that I will have waiting for me very soon.

See ya later August Hello September

August is drawing to a close and I am so ready for it to be over. August was not nice to us this year and I am just plum done! And with the end of August means September is here, which means Fall is here, which is my MOST favorite time of year.

August came in like a player stealing 3rd base but is going out slower than a no hitter. I mean it when I say August hasn't been nice to us. The month itself hasn't been mean to us, but what has happened to us this month is enough to have me crying "Foul" or "Do over".

We've had to replace tires on Bill's truck because he ran over a socket wrench, not knowingly, cause who would run over a socket wrench? So after $1250 was paid out for those, then it was onto injuries.




On our way out of town for our belated anniversary overnight his truck overheated on the mountain pass. Come to find out the radiator cap wasn't on tight enough but it had us worried for a bit.


Next up was our 1st injury in a nut shell is this. Bill wanted to prove me wrong and didn't believe the saying "Mama is always right". Let's just say he does now. By trying to prove me wrong that a car cannot be put into reverse when parked & foot not on brake pedal. So he did it, with our kids in the car = car rolled down our driveway into the street with Bill and I chasing after it. Resulting in Bill hurting his knee getting the car stopped. We meet with the Orthopedic surgeon on Tues to discuss injuries. (looks like a torn meniscus & calf muscles)


Then as if Bill wasn't in enough pain his tooth started hurting. To the dentist he went to discover not 1 but 2 root canals are needed!


Next it was car issues up to bat again. This time the alternator on Bill's truck went out. $120 bucks later, a recharged battery and his truck is back up and running again.


This week we are headed out for our annual Labor Day camping trip with friends. As the end of the month draws near lets hope it takes pity on us and ends quietly.

Once we are back from camping it's time for schedules, swim lessons, ballet class, MOPS, comfort foods, Football and fall weather. I am so ready for fall to come and bring us some normalcy and routine. Bring it on baby, I'm ready!!!

Shannon Woodward, the pastor's wife that married us & has dedicated our 3 children wrote a beautiful post about our wedding 4yrs ago. Her description of our wedding is just so special & beautitful. So on the eve of our 4yr wedding anniversary I am posting it here. Click on the link & go read it. It brought tears & smiles tonight as I re-read it.

http://windscraps.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_windscraps_archive.html

How does our garden grow?

This Spring Ellia kept talking about picking strawberries. So I asked her if she'd like to plant our own so we could pick them. Of course she was all excited. And those strawberries got me to thinking of having our own garden. Last year we grew tomato's and they were so yummy.

So Bill and his dad built me a corner above ground garden in the side yard. They got 2 truckloads of dirt & filled it up and put a little fence up to help keep the dog & kids out of it.

Those strawberries turned into spinach, romaine lettuce, green bell peppers, snap peas, orange bell peppers, peas, tomato's (5 different kinds), zucchini, basil, sage, mint, jalapenos, potato's and pumpkins.

I was worried that our little garden wouldn't grow because we had so much rain and not a lot of sun. But the Lord heard my little garden prayers and brought us sun. Lots and lots of sun the last 2 weeks. And our little garden has started to grow. Today, we picked snap peas, lettuce & spinach. And with dinner we happily ate a salad with some of our garden goodness.

our snap peas are HUGE!


The girls munching away on a snap pea

Our romaine lettuce

We did it!!

We did it, as in the kids and I made it to church today! Three cheers for us...WooHoo!

I had the diaper bag packed last night. I did NOT lay out their clothes but will do that next time.

Bill and I worked great together today in getting the kids and ourselves ready. We even had time to go out to breakfast as a family.

Then Bill helped me get the girls into their Sunday school class. Then he immediately had to tear out of the parking lot to get to work. He might have been 5 Min's late. But isn't he the BEST for helping me get to church & get the girls into class??

Then Micah and I settled into a seat in the very back and worship started. It was sooo wonderful to worship today! I cannot express how much my spirit enjoyed the worship service today. And the band played some really good songs today.

Right before the sermon I had to leave to go and feed Micah. In the nursing mothers room there were at one point 4 moms and all of us had boys! Luckily, our church has a live feed into the mothers room and so we were able to still be part of the service, even though the room is in another building.

I was able to make it back into the service for the rest of it & use the bathroom before picking up the girls. Which I did okay with on my own. I put the diaper bag & car seat into the car and just carried Micah to pick up the girls.

All in all it was a good Sunday service experience for me and mostly done all by myself. I think this can be done, I think it can, I think it can.

Fathers Day

Today is Father's Day. And because of that I want to honor 2 special men in my life.

The first important man in my life is my husband, Bill. He is such a good dad. Words cannot express how wonderful he is with our kids. He is so gentle and patient with them. He loves spending time with them and hearing all about their day.





This morning, he got up when Ellia got up, she gets up earlier than all of us, and he went to her room & layed on her bed with her. They just hung out in her room, talked & played. On the day he should've got to sleep in, he got up early & spent time with our daughter. That is a good dad!


One things for sure our kids will always know their daddy loves them!!

Special moments that I love about Bill being a dad:

• I love that Bill cried the first time he saw Ellia, his first glimpse at being a daddy.
• I love when he calls the house and asks to talk to them on speaker phone
• I love how the girls & the dog run to greet him each & every night
• How he is always looking to do special things with each of the kids
• He loves tucking them into bed & spending those last few moments of their day with them
• How he loves cuddling with them on the couch
  

The second important man is my dad, Tony. He is the BEST dad in the world. I know lots of people say that but he truly is. We are aren't just father & daughter we are truly friends. My dad taught me all about football, bestowed on me my love of classic cars & rock n roll, old movies and my love of all things blueberry also comes from him. (in fact this morning we had blueberry pancakes & bacon, and when I told my dad what we had for breakfast he said "Damm, that sounds good")

Some of my favorite memories with my dad are the following:

• Going to the REO Speedwagon & U2 concerts and rockin out together
• Watching a Sunday football game together, chillin on the couch & just hanging out
• Walking along the beach in the water in silence and being okay with that
• My dad toasting Bill and mines engagement at a bar on the Jacksonville Beach
• Walking me down the isle at my wedding
• My dad's toast at our wedding reception and him starting to cry
• My dad playing with our girls when he came to visit last Oct. That really was special for me.
  
  

Happy Father's Day!!

Sunday bloody Sunday

*******Update*******
Thanks for all the suggestions, advice & nice comments both on FB and here. I am going to give it a whirl on Sunday and put into place some of the advice given. Will keep you posted how getting 3kids & myself ready & to church goes. Not promising we will be there on time, but just that we will get there.
*****************************************
I am a huge U2 fan and have seen them in concert 3x. They rock so hard in concert. It's truly an experience to be part of. But this post isn't about U2. However, their song titled Sunday Bloody Sunday came to mind this morning when I got a Facebook message. Although that song isn't about church or missing church, it came to mind as an appropriate title to this post.

Why is it that we have the hardest time getting to church on Sunday's? Before Micah we could be out the door all four of us & at church on time. Bill and I joked that of all days we worked Best on Sunday's as a "team".

Since the late weeks of my pregnancy & Micah's arrival we have only been to church 3x. Yes, 3x! And I could give you a ton of good reasons why and believe you me I have them playing in my head right now. But really it comes down to priorities.

My friend just Facebooked me saying "Missed you yesterday". Ugggh, I had to admit that we just couldn't get there. No real reason, we just decided to stay home. And now I am faced to either missing the next 3 Sunday's or getting the kids ready & off to church all by myself as Bill has to work. And let me tell you, it takes me at least 1.5hrs to get myself & the kids ready with help!

What do I do? Any ideas? Church has always been a priority to Bill and I, but sadly I feel it may be slipping down the list. And I don't like/want that to happen. I truly enjoy being in the Lord's house & Ellia loves going to church. Which is something we want to keep alive in her.

How do you fellow bloggers/friends/family make Church a priority & how do you get your families ready each week?

Valentines Day weekend wrap up

This weekend was the "Love Weekend" and boy was our house filled with love & fun. The girls and I made some scrumptious peanut butter chocolate cupcakes & home made valentines for some special people.

Ellia loved gluing on hearts & colored pasta I made for her

Addie loved eating the peanut butter mixture off the beater




On Friday evening I went out to dinner & a movie with some great girlfriends for a girls Valentines day night. We saw the movie Valentines Day. It was sooo cute & so funny.

Bill had to work on Valentines day and so we celebrated on Thursday evening. We left the girls with G & G and headed out to a nice dinner in Bellevue. It was so nice to get away, enjoy a nice dinner & not have to cut up someones food or feed them!

Yesterday, morning I made the girls heart blueberry pancakes and then we went to our friends house for a couples Valentines Day party. I was minus my main date but had 2 smaller dates. It was fun afternoon.

Daddy & the girls valentines

Our couples table all decorated

Playing a game with conversation hearts (Darren looks like he is having fun)





My sentence "Crazy for you my love"

But on this day we always remember 2yrs ago when this little one was conceived. Not a planned conception but none the less a priceless part of our family. We love you Addie!!

What has Team D been up to this past week?

I know those that read this blog are just dying to know what we've been up to this past week. Okay, maybe just Nana and Papa are wondering....but just in case I'll post some pictures.

We went to the park as a family & played

We baked cookies

"Ta daaaaa" she was proud of her cooking making






She ate more of the nutella then she actually frosted the cookie with



We had Chinese dinner with Bill's parents, sister, aunt & uncle & cousins.

Nate & the girls had fun playing bus



Waiting patiently for the food to arrive


Addie loved her Chinese food




Just as much as she loved the sesame seeds & BBQ'd pork

We went out to breakfast as a family

Wow, it was a busy week but filled with lots of fun times & great memories.